By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
There are times when we need the world to stop, if only for a moment. Stop long enough to allow us to catch our breath, to refocus, to recharge and even find ourselves.
Wednesday is one of those days in Bucyrus. But the world simply does not stop. And if Roger Moore could share one message to the residents of the city he so dearly loved and served it would be that now is not the time to stop.
The city has come too far over too many hurdles to even pause. Not even when one of those who steered it through difficult times is no longer available to do so.
Listening to his friends and those he worked so closely with on Wednesday it became apparent that there was a pied piper in the Mayor’s Office at City Hall.
Roger had something to sell and it was his city, his community and the people he shared it with. He truly believed Bucyrus and Crawford County could and would recover. He believed it so strongly that he had little time and perhaps less patience for those who insisted otherwise.
Such is often the case with a visionary. A visionary can see because he or she will not let themselves become overwhelmed and allow obstacles and issues to drown out and block off what lies beyond.
It’s called perspective. It’s a little like moving your hand far enough away from your face to see what is on the other side. Roger had that perspective for his community.
But sometimes a vision is not enough. Law Director Rob Ratliff referred to Roger’s will and his sometimes larger-than-life approach. Administrative Assistant Eunice Collene described it as a big heart.
Roger had more than vision. He also possessed, maybe was possessed by a passion – a passion for his community, his family and people.
I believe it was the combination of the two that allowed Roger to get some things done no one else was getting done. Whether it was the petty squabbling and bickering over red tape on a downtown project that was slowly bleeding the life out of the downtown community or dealing with a theater that was falling down and taking a surrounding building with it, the mayor never lost sight of the impact issues and problems had on people.
See, I believe that’s what Roger saw on the other side of the problems so many of the rest of us couldn’t seem to see past: people.
I first became acquainted with Roger while the two of us were working two jobs. The one that put us in contact with one another was working the overnight shift at Foodtown. When talk of a possible strike by union employees there came up, Roger didn’t talk about how it would affect him, but how it would affect others.
More recently Roger took time from a busy schedule to express condolences over the passing of my mother-in-law – a woman he had only met twice while campaigning for office.
It was always how problems affected people that motivated Roger to find a solution.
As the city mourns his passing, may its leaders and residents also remember his example and take it to heart by continuing his passion and vision for people.